Northern Longbeard Dwarves
Overview The Northern Longbeards are the citizens of the Kingdom of Balbûnzudnu. They are a faction of Durin's lineage that live North and North-East of Ered Luin in Forochel and parts of Western Forodwaith. The Kingdom of Balbûzudnu was originally founded by the ancestors of Borin II Silverhand in the year 33 of the Second Age, but fell apart in the year 1976 of the Third Age after they, along with the Lossoth, helped King Arvedui of Arnor hide from the Witch King of Angmar. Borin II Silvehand came from the Khazad Dûm colony with a small legion of Longbeard dwarves to reclaim the ancient halls of their ancestors in the year 2992 of the Third Age. After reaching, he re-established the Kingdom of Balbûnzudnu. During his expedition of Forochel, Borin II Silverhand discovered many great cities of old: Zigilgund: The old capital of the Northern Longbeard Dwarves. Situated in a pocket of mountains West of the remaining Ered Engrin range, this great city was founded in the year 33 of the Second Age, with its construction being completed in the year 214 of the Second Age. This city is considered to be the oldest Northern Longbeard hold according to ancient Lossoth texts and scriptures, with its founding year considered to be the start of the Kingdom of Balbûnzudnu. Old, restored blueprints have estimated the size of the city to be comparable to that of Khazad Dûm, though this claim is disputed. When Borin found the crumbled city, little of it remained. Ardunost: Ardunost was a city of magnificent grandeur, which was constructed in the year 1340 of the Second Age after nearly three centuries of construction. It was also regularly renovated and updated over the next few millennia. It was a splended trading hub, garnering its notoriety from trade with the Númenóreans, and later the Dúnedain. At its epicentre situated the dwarven hold of Ironspan, which overlooked the Lossoth villages and markets within the cities parametres. Darkreach, the Northern Longbeard battle hold stationed near Udûn. Darkreach was completed in the year 129 of the Third Age over the course of a little less than a century by many of the Frostbound during the peak of the Kingdom of Balbûnzudnu. Its inhabitants were ready for battle at all times, whether it be with the forces of the Witch-King, or the creatures trapped within Utumno. About By nature they are a folk of skilled craftsmen, miners, architects, engineers, and stone smiths; as with all of Durin's decsendants. But they are best known for their skilled warriors. They clad themselves in heavy plates and scale coats made of special, cold-forged steel when going to battle, but also make room for thick fur coats which they undergarb beneath their armor to keep themselves warm. They primarily make use of warhammers, and battle-axes in melee combat. They are also known for their prowess as spear-throwers at range. What truly sets them apart though is their ferocity in battle. They are some of the fiercest warriors and most cunning tacticians in all of the dwarven lands, owing this status to their constant training, unceasing bravery, and never-ending skirmishes with the spawn of Gundabad, Utumno, and Angmar. They have exceptional morale in battle. They carry such hatred for Orc-kind into battle with them that they scarcely leave survivors when the dust settles on the field. If ever asked why they hate the Orcs so much they will often say, "Amhul nê azur'e. Izri Thrain! Izri Arvedui!" or "Do not ask me. Ask Thrain! Ask Arvedui!" This is in reference to their ancestor, Thrain I and the fall of Khazad Dûm, as well as the fall of Arnor and their last king, Arvedui, who was a close friend to their ancestors in the region. Physical Traits The Northern Longbeards have a few distinct traits that set them apart from their brethren in the other Dwarven lands. They are known to have heightened resistance to extreme cold and heat due to the icy environment they live in. They dig out deep lava lakes to use as a form of heat and light in their lavish, underground halls. They have dark, black-ish hair with an occasional brown hue, and they commonly have brown-grey eyes. The men have thicker-than-usual beards and body hair which is likely due to a developing resistance to the cold to aid them in their work outside of the halls in the icy winds. Women however have the least thick, and shortest beards when compared to most of the other dwarven holds. This is likely due to women seldom leaving the halls for anything but to fight alongside the men. They work primarily as miners, smiths, tailors, caretakers, and cooks, thus remaining very warm in the lava-heated halls of Northern Longbeard strongholds. It is uncommon, but not extremely rare of both men and women to have facial tattooing and piercings in their ears and eyebrows. They use this to show heritage and status within their respective hold. This practice began when the first dwarves to make the journey to the ancient halls arrived with black markings on their face from frostbite and campfire soot which they then tattooed to permanently remember their triumph over the frozen wastes. The Lossoth, and the Kingdom of Balbûnzudnu (The Kingdom of Forochel) Currently, the Kingdom of Balbûnzudnu shares their kingdom with the Lossoth, the native inhabitants, under the Kingdom of Forochel or Forochel for short. As of such, both dwarves and Lossoth work together within the Kingdom underneath their respective faction rulers: WarlordHUN for the Lossoth and Creeperblast99 for the Northern Longbeard Dwarves. Both leaders of the faction form a council along with other chosen indivduals and high-ranking members. Laws of the Kingdom of Forochel (Dwarves and Lossoth) What follows is a record of all laws and standards of the Kingdom of Balbûnzudnu and Lossoth set forth on the tenth of January, year 2993 of the Third Age. These laws are in addition to those set forth by the Valar and are secondary to them. I. One must abide by the laws of the Kingdom of Forochel and the decrees of the King and Chieftain are law and as such must be followed or punishment up to and including banishment and exile from the Kingdom of Forochel may be levied as the King or Chieftain see fit. No one can escape the law. Rule of law applies to all! II. One must respect other Dwarves in any of the Dwarven kingdoms and shall not bicker or fight with brethren for any reason unless verily warranted and deemed a just grievance by the King. This grievance must then be brought forth in council with the King and resolved. This law is thrust upon the mannish tribes of Forochel as well. III. One must not commit murder against his Dwarven brethren unless the Dwarf be labeled a traitor or enemy of the state. This is viewed as treason and is punishable by death and exile from the Kingdom of Forochel. This law is thrust upon the mannish tribes of Forochel as well. IV. Any dwarf of the varied kingdoms is considered a brother and is to be given aid, if one has the time and ability to give aid. This law does not apply to the Lossoth tribes. V. For the betterment of the Kingdom of Forochel and to promote productivity within the citizens therein, we have instituted a guild system: NOTE: This guild system is not currently used and might see revisions in the future. Once a month each citizen will be required to complete some assigned work within a Guild of their choice. This is to allow them to contribute to the Kingdom of Forochel in a manner they prefer rather than a preset way. This assigned work will be referred to as their "workload". It is not mandatory for a player to join a guild within their first two months of playing on the server, as such a burden is not expected of a new player. The materials, labor, or items and the amount of each required for this will depend upon their chosen Guild Membership. Any citizen who is not a member of a guild is required to pay a general tax of 1,000 coins rather than one of the workloads below unless they choose membership before the tax collection date for the given month. The tax levied on players who have joined the faction for only two months is a quarter of the tax a regular is required to pay. The workloads available to each guild are as follows: Miner's Guild Miner - Choose four of the following items: 20 Stacks of Cobblestone, 8 Stacks of Coal, 1 Stack of Rock Salt, 2 Stacks of Iron Ore, 3 Stacks of Tin Ore, 2 Stacks of Copper Ore, 48 Silver Ore, 32 Gold Ore, 1 Stack of Niter and Sulfur, 32 Gems (Amethyst, Ruby, Opal, Sapphire, Topaz, Amber, or Emerald), 8 High Gems (Diamonds and Pearls) 16 Lava Buckets (new buckets), 1 Stack of Redstone dust, or 1 Mithril Ore. Of these, a player may choose to collect Iron, Gold, Redstone, or Silver in large quantities to compensate for one item. Guildmaster - Responsible for ensuring the existance safe, rich mines in and outside the barren wastelands of Forodwaith.. The guildmaster is also responsible for his own workload, and is encouraged to talk to the other guilds to determine the rates at which materials are used, and to keep miners up to date on best practices and recently opened locations. Blacksmith's Guild Blacksmith - Choose four of the following items: 1 Stack of Salt Rock, 3 Dwarven Armor Sets, 8 Dwarven Weapons (Battleaxes/Warhammers count as two, while Daggers and Spears count as 1/2), 5 Dwarven Pickaxes, 2 Dwarven Mattocks, 4 of another Dwarven tool, 2 Stacks of Dwarven Steel Ingots, 1 Stack of Elven Steel Ingots, 1 Stack of Blue Dwarven Steel Ingots, 1 Stack of Uruk Ingots (if able to), 16 Galvorn Ingots, one Mithril Ingot, 1 Stack of Bronze Ingots, 64 Arrows, 64 Darts, or 5 Lava Buckets. Of these, a player may choose to produce large quantities of Dwarven Steel, Armor, Weapons, Pickaxes, Mattocks, or Dwarven Tools to compensate for another item. Guildmaster - Responsible for ensuring forges are available to all players, and ensuring that the other guilds have sufficient material to function. For his own workload, the guildmaster should in addition to the above criteria create maximised tools and armor at as high a rate as materials allow, given that 20% of all stored armor of a given type is maximised, and that 30% of all tools of a type and material are maximised as well. Builder's Guild Builder - Choose four of the following items: Builders may also choose another building project to participate in other than their own hold to compensate for two items. Guildmaster - He or she is responsible for administrating work, paying for non-guild work on projects, ensuring that there is adequate storage for each guild, determining how to process the items above as well as changing them as needed, and their workload. Engineer's Guild Engineer - Choose four of the following items: 12 Powered Rails, 10 Minecarts, 2 Stacks of smooth stone, Half a Stack of Quartz, 16 slimeballs, 16 Pistons, One Stack of Redstone dust, or 16 Tri. Orc Bombs (if able to. Otherwise get TNT). Engineer's Guild members are also able to fulfill their workload by completing a certain amount of work on major builds and development tasks other than their own hold, should they choose to do so instead of the aforementioned workload items. Guildmaster - Oversees and certifies work on engineering tasks, develops and protects new technologies, and is responsible for his own workload. Trader's Guild The workload for the Trader's Guild is different than that of the other guilds in that there is not a payment to be made. Instead the traders are expected to sell various surplus materials for the kingdom and in return for making a certain number of transactions on the Kingdom's behalf, they are allowed a tax waiver, and are given a 10% commission on all trades they complete. Traders - 10 Trades per Monthly Tax Cycle (10% Commission) Guildmaster - 8 Trades per Monthly Tax Cycle (10% Commission) and is also responsible for ensuring safe trading conditions for all members. Taxes are to be turned into the guildmaster of your respective guild. You may also choose to turn them in at the guild warehouse at the guild headquarters in Borin's Watch. If your guild lacks a standing or accessible guildmaster, you may turn them in to the Lord of your hold. Please place your items in a small pouch labeled with your in-game name and guild affiliation in this format: Name -- Guild Example: Hexidecimark -- Engineer Taxes and Workloads will be collected on the 15th of every month. Failure to produce your monthly workload or taxes will result in one warning. After three warnings, all services and use of facilities within the kingdom will be revoked and any apartments or land you hold within the kingdom will be subject to withholding until you comply with the system again. Back taxes will not be levied or required to be paid if you have a valid reason for your delinquency. The validity of any reasoning provided will be evaluated on a case by case basis and left up to the Council and the King. This system is to create a plentiful state within the kingdom and all taxes and workloads levied will be put back into the kingdom for the use of each guild and of the individual members. The King and his Lords are not to place taxes in their personal storages or withhold any portion thereof. These are for the citizens and the infrastructure of the Kingdom itself only. VI. No Lord or citizen may levy taxes upon his hold beyond paid use of facilities under their control. The King's tax is to be the only levied tax in the Kingdom. VII. No citizen is to steal from any other Dwarf, Man, Orc, or Elf in all of Middle Earth. If caught stealing from anyone outside the kingdom, including other dwarves, the punishment will be levied by the Admins. If the theft takes place within the Kingdom then it will be attempted to be resolved without involving the Admins. Items will be returned and a fine of 200% of the stolen items' value will be paid to the victim and the thief will be demoted and force to mine coal for the following weeks until it is deemed he has paid for his crimes. We trust you not give us any reason to levy the aforementioned punishments. VIII. No man or dwarf shall build within 1000 blocks of a build in the Kingdom of Forochel without the express permission of the King or the hold's owner; such builds will require heavy oversight to ensure they are up to the King/builder's building standards and follow the aesthetic theme of the Kingdom. IX. If a dwarf wishes to have his build recognized and submitted for promotion to Lord, he or she must follow the aesthetic theme and building standards of the Kingdom. If the build is deemed worthy it will be given recognition and the owner will be made a Thane and allowed to recruit dwarves for his hold. XI. In order to be promoted to the position of Lord within the kingdom and be given the leadership of one of the various holds as well as a seat in the King's Council, one must be a Thane of a Hold within the Kingdom. They also must have 500 Durin's Folk alignment. Once they are in the recruitment phase of ascending to the position of Lord, they must gather and recruit 3 new dwarves, either for their hold or for the Kingdom's Capital. If any confusion arises, please contact the King himself to interpret the rule for you. XII. Only the King, Lords (Including Thanes and those undergoing the recruitment phase), may recruit for their holds. Lesser Dwarven citizens may aid in recruiting but must send the recruit to their Lord or Thane after the initial recruitment unless explicitly given permission by the aforementioned people to fully recruit a member. XIII. When in any build within the kingdom, including your own, always close all gates and doors you find open or open yourself. This is to prevent any players unauthorized from accessing our halls and mines to grief and/or kill our members. XIV. Any build by a player that is not within the kingdom's tiles cannot be given recognition by the kingdom unless the faction whose land the build is in also recognises the build. This includes any builds in the disputed tiles North of Angmar, in the water around the Cape of Forochel, or any other area. The build can be recognised as an embassy by the kingdom if the king's council approves of the build as a hub for diplomatic relations along with the tile owners. XV. The Laws are subject to change and alteration at any time without notice until after the changes have been made. The king will send out an updated book of laws when this occurs and it is every dwarf's duty to stay up to date with this and as such are accountable for any infractions they commit even if they were unaware that their actions were unlawful. That said, no retroactive punishments will be levied if a new law was broken prior to its inclusion in the books unless they were especially grievous infractions or were the cause for the law's inclusion. Economy The Northern Longbeards are known to regularly export fish, ice, salt, and other materials mined from the earth. However, they are best known for their incredibly dense and very hard steel, made through a special process they call cold-forging, and for their brewery's special honey-wine, 'Dragon's Breath Mead', which is made using water melted from glacial ice, honey sugar, and a special spice called "Dragon's Fire" that they keep hidden with great zeal. Their Steel is known to be able to slice through even the best Orc steel plate armor as if cutting through parchement and known to blunt even the sharpest of Orc weaponry when used for armor. This makes it one of their most valuable exports in trade. Their famed brewery, The Great Drake Meadery, is home to their second most valuable export, Dragon's Breath Mead. This mead is invaluable to both those who are needing to fight off the cold or get drunk at a party. It is a beverage brewed to high alcoholicity so that it doesn't freeze in the frozen wastes it is home to and carries a spice that the dwarves who brew it call "Dragon's fire" that seems to warm the body from head to toe with only a sip. The mead's secret spice warms the body while the taste buds dance merrily with the sweet flavors of honey sugar farmed from bees kept in an underground hive; that is unless one chooses to forego the honey and release the raw, fiery taste of the spice into their mouth. This combination makes Dragon's Breath Mead one very tasty beverage from start to finish, not to mention its vital uses when one is fighting icy winds. Due to the nature of Dragon's Fire, it can be had with plain water to recieve its effects, as it does not need an extraneous liquid like alcohol. The spice itself cannot be had raw however, as doing so is potentially fatal. The Dwarves of Balbûzudnu also enjoy traveling to the lands South of Forodwaith and collecting and selling items they find in their adventures. Trade They regularly trade metals, gems, stone, and brewed drinks with the Blue Dwarves for sarlluin and other precious goods. They also have a close trade relationship with the Lossoth - the natives they share their kingdom with - with whom they trade salt, coal, brewed drinks, and iron in return for fish, red meat, furs, and wood. They also try to maintain a close relationship with the dwarves of Khazad Dûm via their embassy, Zigilgathol, near Bundushathur. Unfortunately, this relationship has weakened overtime for many reasons. Military The Northern Longbeard Dwarves are known to be home to some of the fiercest footsoldiers in all of the Dwarven Kingdoms. They have 5 distinct types of military units: Legionnaires: ' Elite close-combat warriors. Legionnaires are the standard foot soldiers of the Northern Longbeard Military. They usually are young dwarves eager to prove themselves in battle. Even so they are fierce warriors in their own right having extensive training under their belts. '''Spearmasters: ' Hybrid units wielding shields and double-tipped spears that act as ranged spearthrowers and front line warriors. These soldiers are the most versatile front lines unit in the Northern Longbeard armies. They can act as a standard spear and shield wall when marching, a medium-range anti-cavalry unit, or as a makeshift fortification unit by planting their spears at an angle allowing no quick-paced assaults or mounted units within a perimeter. '''Siegemasters: '''Tactical engineers equipped with long-handled pikes, explosives, and a pickaxe. They are dedicated to defensive measures in case of a siege, designing and building traps and fortifications. They are the architects of defensive structures and carry out the demolition of structures as needed in following the King's battle plans. '''Sharpshooters: Highly trained crossbowmen used for defense during sieges and as long-range units in assault operations. They are often found in the towers and ramparts of Northern Longbeard fortresses during sieges sending a constant and accurate hailstorm of arrows into the enemy ranks from above. They also act as the standard ranged unit in open field, offensive operations. The Frostbound: These elite soldiers are highly trained in all tactics and forms of warfare. They are completely encased in thick steel plate armor and special fire-resistant fur and leather undergarb. Their name and fame comes from their unique hardened ice armor and their brutal selection test, the Trial of Frostbinding. The Trial involves submerging themselves in the waters of the bay of Forochel and making the trek back to Zigilgund without food or proper clothing. It is a test of will and endurance in the most extreme conditions that the weak do not often see the end of. Those who survive this trial may become one of the Frostbound. They also are known for their ferocity in battle and their armor which is unique in that it incorporates special hardened ice plates that provide extra protection in key areas as well as spikes of the same material for offensive use in close quarters. Members NOTE: It's worth to note that even though all members of the faction have different tasks, no one is limited by these aforementioned tasks. Anyone can recruit a player, and start their own build (if granted permission by the King, along with a good reason to start said build or recruit said player). The Discord '''tags of all of our members are also listed along with their name, in case anyone wants to contact a specific member. The titles '''Lord, and''' Thane also both refer to territorial and political titles, however, not every lord or thane is part of the Forochel council, and not everyone in the Forochel council is a lord or thane. '''Creeperblast99 (silentsforce#7440) Titles: King of the Dwarves of Balbûzudnu Status: Active Roles: To enforce the kingdom's decrees, and bring prosperity to the faction. Hold(s): Zigilgund, The Cape of Forochel InaneArtifactOH (InaneArtifactOH#8850) Titles: Lord of Ardunost Status: Active Roles: Help maintain and construct the city of Ardunost Hold(s): Ardunost/Ironspan MalachSilverbone (-ThaBeardedDawi-#3307) Titles: Thane and supervisor of Ardunost Status: Active Roles: Help construct and manage Ardunost Hold(s): Ardunost/Ironspan Chancho (NA) Titles: Lord of Borin's Watch Status: Active Roles: Help construct Borin's Watch Hold(s): Borin's Watch timthegrizlybear (timthegrizlybear#0491) Titles: Citizen and owner of Borin's Watch Status: Active Roles: C''onstruct and maintain Borin's Watch'' Hold(s): Borin's Watch TeXaD (TeXaD#4117) Titles: NA Status: Inactive Roles: Citizen Hold(s): NA DevineGrass (pizzabug#0734) Titles: Thane of Sevzirkgund Status: Active Roles: Construct Sevzirkgund Hold(s): Sevzirkgund xFenris (SmellyFenris#3192) Titles: Citizen of Zigilgund Status: Active Roles: Help construct Zigilgund Hold(s): Zigilgund Mickel_04 (Mikel#5209) Titles: Citizen of Zigilgund Status: Active Roles: Help construct Zigilgund Hold(s): Zigilgund ApeCrafter (NA) Titles: Recruit of Borin's Watch Status: Active Roles: Help construct Borin's Watch Hold(s): NA Icedestroyer7 (Dahveed#7779) Titles: NA Status: Inactive Roles: Recruit Hold(s): NA SamIr0n (SamIr0n#6562) Titles: NA Status: Active Roles: Recruit Hold(s): NA AtanVarno (Halath#6522) Titles: NA Status: Active Roles: Recruit Hold(s): NA Previous Rulers LordBorin (Mat#0443) timthegrizlybear (timthegrizlybear#0491) samways18 (samways18#4250) Major Builds * ' Borin's Watch:' The Current capital of the Kingdom of Balbûnzudnu. Its construction began a short while after Borin II Silverhand and his legion landed off the shore of westernmost Forochel; North of the Lossoth settlement that was the Cape of Forochel, in the year 2993 of the Third Age. Its construction halted for over fifty years as Borin and his hosts explored the rest of Forochel. timthegrizlybear '''worked on the build till his departure from the server, at which point the build was inherited by '''Creeperblast99. Creeper thereafter assigned chancho '''to be in charge of the construction of Borin's Watch. A few months after his departure from the server, timthegrizlybear once more returned to Forochel and began following through with his plans for the build along with chancho. * '''Zigilgund: The former capital of the Kingdom of Balbûnzudnu, both during the kingdom's initial reign and for a while after its re-establishment. It was ruled over by the early Northern Longbeards as well as mattdiver (LordBorin) until his banishment from Arda. It currently remains abandoned, with no sign of future construction. It is built West of the Ered Engrin that spring from the northern Misty Mountains; located in a small, dense packet of mountains near the western coast of Forochel, North-East of the Ered Luin. This awesome city was founded in the year 33 of the Second Age, with its construction being completed in the year 214 of the Second Age. This city is considered to be the oldest Northern Longbeard hold according to ancient Lossoth texts and scriptures, with its founding year considered to be the start of the Kingdom of Balbûnzudnu. Old, restored blueprints have estimated the size of the underground city to be comparable to that of Khazad Dûm, though this claim is disputed by many Lossoth tell-tales. When Borin found the crumbled city, little of it remained. Much of its construction had been withered away by the many blizzards in the area. Creeperblast99 '''has been working tirelessly to bring back the city to its old glory. * '''Ardunost: Ardunost was a city of magnificent grandeur, which was constructed in the year 1340 of the Second Age. It was a splended trading hub, garnering its notoriety from trade with the Númenóreans, and later the Dúnedain. At its epicentre situated the dwarven hold of Ironspan, which overlooked the Lossoth village and markets within the cities parametres. When the Witch-King conquered the nearby diocese of Rhúdaur, the hold became a battle station, standing steadfast in its opposition to Angmar; till the wrath of the Witch-King befell it in his quest to eliminate King Arvedui, not knowing of his untimely death at sea. After the re-establishment of the kingdom, the duty of reconstructing this city was given to Iketheboss, however, after his departure from Middle_Earth due to a multitude of reasons, he gave the hold to the Lossoth supervisor and chieftain of Ardunost, thewarfalconj. Soon after, Vren would also leave the server. Lordship of the city was then passed down to InaneArtifactOH, the current ruler of Ironspan. * Darkreach: '''This marvelous hold was a militiamen barrack stationed near Utumno. Darkreach was built in the year 129 of the Third Age by many Frostbound and Legionnaires during the peak of the Kingdom of Balbûnzudnu. Its inhabitants were ready for battle at all times, whether it be with the forces of the Witch-King, or the creatures trapped within Udûn, if they were to ever leave. After the re-establishment of the Kingdom of Balbûzudnu, the Frostbound known as '''TheWhiteWizard33 took to re-building the fortress. He would later leave the server after a long rule over the hold. Much of the surviving remains of Darkreach have been scraped due to the August 10th world reset by the Valar. Its blueprints still live on though. * Zigilgathol: Zigilgathol is the embassy of the Kingdom of Balbûnzudnu located in the Kingdom of Khazad Dûm near Bundushathur. It began construction in the year 3081 of the Third Age as a way to engage in discussion with the Khazâd in the Misty Mountains. The project was lead by the now king, Creeperblast99. It has halted construction ever since the relationship between the Kingdoms of Balbûzudnu and Khazad Dûm has declined. Category:Dwarves Category:Durin's Folk Category:Good Category:Faction Category:Factions